Envelope-machine



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. BALL.

I ENVELOPE MACHINE.

No. 263,838. Patented Sept 5, 1882.

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3 Sheets--Sheet 2.

(N0.Model.)

J. BALL.

4 ENVELOPE MAGHINE.

Patented Sept. 5, 1882.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

J., BALL.

ENVELOPE .MAGHINB.

Patentd Sept. 5. 1882.

N. PETERS. Photo-Lilllogmphcr. Wauhinglun. D, C.

a UNITED STATES PATENT QFFIGE.

JAMES BALL, or HOLYOKE, MASSACHUSETTS.

ENVELOPE-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 263,838, datedSeptember 5, 1882.

I Applicalion filed May 2, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES BALL, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Holyoke, in the county of Hampden andState of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements inEnvelope-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in that class ofenvelope-machines in which the blankspreviously out and placed inposition upon one end of the machine aregummed upon one flap and movedto the other end of the machineto beconsecutively gummed upon anotherflap,folded,and'delivered completedenvelopes; and the first part of myimprovements relates to mechanism having for its object the guiding ofthe moving blank to the exact position to be acted on by both the gummerand plunger and die for bending the. flaps. The second part relates totheconstructiou of the gummer bed-plate, and to automatic mechanismconnected with the gummer and track over which the blanks pass to theglimmer, whereby a level seat, always free from gum, is provided for theunder side of the flap of the blank in process of being gummed; and thethird part relates to pneumatic mechanism for automati' cally retainingand actively delivering the envelope from its bed beneath thefolding-win gs.

In the drawings, Figure I is a side elevation, in partial section, of somuch of an envelopemachine as is necessary to assist in illustrating myinvention. Fig. 11 is an end elevation of part of amachine containingmyim provenients. Fig. III is a partial plan View of a machine having myimprovements; and Figs. IV, V. and VI are enlarged detail views of partsof the same.

As the application of my improvements to an envelope-machine involves nochange in the well-known mechanism operating upon the blank until on itsway to the second gummer, nor to the operating cam-shaft with its cams,these parts are omitted in the drawings, and it will he understood that,the connections shown to themovable parts convey the motion from theshaft -and cams in ordinary use.

D is a guide secured to the hinged foldingwing cl, and formed into anupper curved surface, as seen in profile, Fig. I. The guide is formed ofa thin plate, to swing through a vertical opening, d, in the gnmmerbed-plate F and wall of die E. The curved edge of guide D is formed to.be always above the plane of the edges of the die E as it swings withthe wing 01 upon its hinge. the guide 1) is about to'commence its upwardswing at the time when the blank a, fed by the slide I, has one flapover the hollow die E, and in position to beliable to catch againsttheedge As shown in Fig. I,

of the die on its way to the gumme-r G were it not'lifted; but thecurved surface of the guide, moving at no less speed than the blank a,comes beneath the flap, and, extendingab'ove the edge of the die, bearsall portions of the flap clear of the edge of the die, and, inswingranged to connect stem to and part c,as seen in Fig. I. The fingeru swings with rock-shaft J. The rock-shaft J, having hearings in theframe or beam A, is rocked by the arm J, which, having a yoke upon oneend to rest upon a cam on the cam-shaft ot the machine, is lifted bysaid cam and allowed to follow vupon the cam in falling by gravity or byits weight, assisted by the spring-actuated gummer G. A gummer soconstructed and operated is old, and heretofore theregular rise and fallof the gum mer has had no reference to the presence or absence of theblank beneath it, so that to prevent the gummer from depositing gum uponits bed-plate in the absence of the blank it was necessary to cut arecess in the bed-plate, into which the gummer passed when no blankinterposed, and said recess left practically no bearing beneath thegummer; but by mechanism as follows, for arresting the gum- 'mer beforecoming in contact with its bare bed,

I am, able to construct a bed to present a plane surface conforming tothe envelope-flap and bottom of. the glimmer, by means of which aperfect distribution of gum may be effected.

Resting upon ways above the bed, on which the blank moves, is the slideit, affording hinges for lever j and connection 0. The lever j consistsof two arms, one on each side of slide it,

and turns freely in its hinge upon the slide.

One arm-is heavier, to cause its end to fall below the surface of thefeed-bed through slot 14. therein. The connection 0 unites the slide k,through arm p,'with shaft K, hung in bearings to the frame A. The shaftKis provided with an arm, q, having thereon the block 8, and with anarm, m, connected by a spring, Z, to the bed of the machine or suitablepoint of attachment therefrom, as shown in Figs. I and II.

Cam-rod J is provided with a pin, t, in position to rest upon block 8when they are in the same vertical line.

Upon the feed-slide I is secured an arm, t, of configurationsubstantially as shown, to come in contact with the near end of leverjwhen said end shall lie in the plane of its movement. The ends of arm 11and leverj are so relatively arranged that the depression of one end oflever j in slot at of the bed raises its other, to be caught by movingarm 2'. The leverj is made light enough to be swung up by the edge ofthemoving blank (1.

In operation, the blank, as it moves to the die, passes under the end oflever j, to, by raising it at this end, depress the other below the arm2', and thus leave the position ofslide 7c unaffected by the arm 15, andto leave the gummer free to descend upon the blank beneath it. When,however, no blank fills the space helonging to it in the moving series,the longer arm of lever j is permitted to fall into slot n to raise theother, to be caught by the arm 2', moving with the feed-slide I, asshown-in Fig. V. The arm 2' carries the slidek with it, and through rod0 and arm 19 rocks the shaft K to swing arm 9 thereon, to bring theblock 8 beneath projection t on cam-lifting rod J. The rod J is thusheld from falling and the finger u from releasing the gummer, which isthus prevented from descending upon an empty bed-plate.

With the reverse reciprocation of arm 6 the spring I rocks the shaft Kto restore the slide is to its first position.

In Fig. II the dotted line a indicates the blank lifting one end ofleverj to depress the other free of arm t.

It has heretofore been common to use a single-acting air-pump to deliverblanks, one at a time, from a pile at one end of the machine to be fedto the other. From a pump, L, operated for such purpose by a crank armon shaft M is brought a tube, h, to connect with a hollow folding-bed,B, to communicate with its interior.

The face of the bed B fulfills the purpose, common to folding-beds ofenvelope-machines, of seating the blank under the folding-wings and ofswinging down to let the envelope slide into the fingers of the drier orother mechanism for delivering it; but by forming a hollow bed, as shownin section, Fig. I, and perforating its face, as at b, Fig. IV, andconnecting its interior with the double-acting pump L, as shown,pneumaticaction is utilizedto, by an exhaust when the bed is closed,firmly hold the blank in position on the bed under the operation of thefolding-wings, and still further hold it as the bed swings down, untilthe reverse stroke of the pump, by a current of air behind the envelope,positively conveys it to suitable delivery mechanism.

' Figs. I and II show endless moving cords c 0, arranged as a carrier tocatch the envelope blown from the bed B. The air-passages b are arrangedat the proper angle to the face of the bed to cause the outward currentof air to have the proper direction relative to the carrier-cord c, andfor that purpose I prefer to I make the face wall of the folder thickenough to give direction to said passages.

The tube It is provided with a flexible joint to permit the bed B toswing.

P P are connections for giving motion to the bed.

The plunger 0 is shown operated by arms 9 g through cross-head f, and,as is also common, the'feed-slide I is reciprocated by the crank-arms H.

X is the bed-plate of the machine.

, Now, having described my invention, what I claim is-- 1. In anenvelope-machine, the combination, with die E, of the hinged guide D,having a curved edge arranged to move toward and extend above one edgeof the die as the guide swings, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

2. In an envelope-machine, the automatic mechanism, substantially asdescribed, and brought into operation by the absence of the blank a, forarrest-ing the descent of the gummer G, consisting of a lever, j,suspended above the bed of the machine in the track of the blank, andmovable by gravity, to have one end intersect the surface, to thereby bebrought into operative connection with the feed-slide I and be moved byit to, through intermediate mechanism, hold the gummer from its bed.

3. The combination of slide k, lever j, arm "6, rod 0, rook-shaft K,with arms 19, q, and m, blocks, and spring I. rock-shaft J, with fingeru and stop ton rod J, and gummer Gr, having stop 0 upon its stem, allarranged substantial1y,as shown, and to operate for the purpose as setforth.

4. In an envelope-machine, the combination, with the gummer G and withmechanism, substantially as shown, for arresting its descent upon itsbed, of the bed-plate F, formed to present a solid plane surface beneaththe gummer, for the purpose as setforth.

5. In an envelope-machine,thecombination constructed and operating asset forth, of the 10 ot' double-acting air-pump L, flexibleconnecendless moving cords 0 0, arranged to catch tion h, and swinginghollow bed-plate B, proand deliver the envelope blown from the fold--vided with perforations b, all arranged subing-bed,substantiallyas shownand described. 5 stantially as shown and described, and operating toalternately positively hold the envelope 1 JAMES BALL to the face of thebed and actively deliverit Witnesses: therefrom. R. FLHYDE,

6. The combination, ith folding-bed B, M. O. BUCK.

